IR 4 Ornamental Horticulture Program Grower & Extension Survey Summary US Respondents

Transcription

1 IR 4 Ornamental Horticulture Program Grower & Extension Survey Summary US Respondents The intent of the Ornamental Horticulture Survey was to poll growers, landscape care operators, researchers, extension personnel and others affiliated with this industry on needs and issues related to disease, insect, and weed management. The responses from the survey feed directly into how IR 4 allocates its research budget for ornamental horticulture projects. Demographics of Survey Participants The purpose for several questions in this survey was to describe the demographics of participating growers, landscape care personnel and others in the green industry. The survey participants came from across the United States with 40% originating in the Southern Region (Table 1).Fifty six percent were growers with the next largest segment being researchers at 13% (Table 2). The operation type most represented was greenhouse followed by nursery container growers (Table 3). Those participants involved in field grown nursery production or in the landscape represented a significant portion of the operation types. Most survey participants did select more than one operation type (data not shown). Most respondents used chemical control while half used biological controls (Table 4). Sixty two percent had IPM as a management style and 28% of survey participants use organic tools. Many participants did not choose a philosophy for when to apply, but those that did were more prone to make applications when needed rather than based on a calendar. More respondents grew shrubs and trees than any other crop type (Table 5). Perennials, bedding plants and ornamental grasses also were grown by a majority. Fewer survey respondents grew foliage plants, seasonal potted plants, cut flowers, palms, and Christmas trees. Table 1. IR 4 Region for survey participants. Region Count Percent NorthCentral 23 8% Northeast 79 28% Southern % Western 70 24% Total % Table 2. Employment sector for survey participants (single selection option). Segment Count Percent Extension 23 8% Government 19 7% Grower % Industry 13 4% LCP 34 12% Researcher 36 13% Unspecified 2 1% Table 3. Operation types (multiple selections). Production Site Count Percent Greenhouse % Nursery Container % Nursery Field % Landscape % Interiorscape 36 13% Christmas Tree Farm 30 10% Sod Farm 29 10% Table 4. Disease, insect and weed management styles (multiple selections). Management Styles Count Percent Biological Control % Chemical Control % IPM % Organic 81 28% Weekly/Monthly Sprays 30 10% Spray at Thresholds % Table 5. Spectrum of crops grown (multiple selections). Crop Type Count Percent Bedding Plants % Cut Flowers 71 25% Christmas Trees 43 15% Foliage Plants % Perennials % Ornamental Grasses % Palms 58 20% Seasonal Potted Plants % Shrubs % Trees % Turf 83 29% 1

2 Research Direction/Type of Data Needed Two questions solicited information on the general direction of research and the type of data needed in the program. The first question asked whether crop safety data was needed more than efficacy, efficacy more than crop safety, or both equally. By a wide majority, more people selected the option that both crop safety data and efficacy data were needed equally ( Figure 1). The next question asked for a ranking of 16 categories based on how much the information is needed for daily operations. This ranking was on a scale of 1 (not needed) to 5 (very important). Any categories that were unranked received a 0 if at least one category was ranked in that person s survey. In general, developing new products had a higher average than expanding current products, and generating efficacy data had a higher average than crop safety data (phytotoxicity). However, there were some differences depending on discipline ( Table 6). Plant pathology followed these same trends as did entomology. Weed science clearly favored developing new products with efficacy and phytotoxicity research equivalent. For plant growth regulators, the averages were very close and there were no statistical differences. Ranking of Issues by Discipline Each of the issues within the disciplines listed by participants was given a weighted ranking based on the order written. Each was also assigned to a group based on similar diseases, pests, or weeds. This section also examines the survey responses grouped by production site. Figure 1. Counts on type of data to be generated Counts Crop Safety Both Efficacy Table 6. Research direction for each discipline. Research Direction Disease Pest Weed PGR Ave New Products 3.22 a 3.55 a 3.14 a 2.23 a 3.03 a Expand Products 3.07 ab 3.06 b 2.77 a 2.32 a 2.81 b More Efficacy 3.00 ab 3.22 ab 2.78 a 2.43 a 2.86 ab More Phytotoxicity 2.81 b 2.71 bc 2.76 a 2.32 a 2.65 bc * With columns, numbers followed by different letters are statistically different based on Fisher Hayter at p<0.05. Table 7. Ranking of pests with limited management choices. Pest Group Weighted Ranking Thrips 163 Mites & Spider Mites 149 Scale & Mealybugs 139 Borers & Beetles 116 Whiteflies 77 Aphids 53 White Grubs & Root Weevils 46 Other 26 Lygus 20 Fungus Gnats 18 Snails & Slugs 12 Leafminers 11 Nematodes 8 Turf Pests 8 Adelgids 7 Symphylla 7 Lepidopterans 6 Leaf Hoppers 6 Lace Bugs 5 Midges 5 Ants 3 Table 8. Ranking of diseases with limited management choices. Disease Group Weighted Ranking Crown & Root Rot 112 Bacterial Diseases 107 Leaf Spots & Anthracnose 87 Pythium 73 Phytophthora 64 Powdery Mildew 53 Nematodes 43 Other 42 Downy Mildew 38 Rusts 34 Botrytis 28 Foliar Blights 25 Canker 22 Virus 21 Vascular Wilts 15 Turf Diseases 11 2

3 Entomology When all responses were grouped together the top five pests of concern were thrips, mites & spider mites, scale & mealybug, borers & beetles, and whiteflies (Table 7 p2). Note that the calculation for weighted ranking here removes any duplication for crop or production site. When weighted rankings were calculated for categories of crops, the top 5 pests change slightly for each crop type (Table 10 p3). Even so, three pest groups were present in at least four out of five crop types: thrips, mites & spider mites, scale & mealybugs. Similarly, when the weighted rankings were calculated based on the production sites, there were some differences among the order. Table 11 (p4) only contains the primary sites listed by respondents. Three pest types were in the top five for each primary production site: thrips, mites & spider mites, scale & mealybugs. Borers & beetles appear in the three outdoor production sites, probably because of the predominance of these insects on woody ornamental crops. Plant Pathology When all responses were grouped together, the top five diseases crown & root rots, bacterial diseases, leaf spots & anthracnose, Pythium and Phytophthora (Table 8 p2). The crown & root rot group contains diseases affecting roots, crowns, and lower trunks that are clearly not caused by Pythium or Phytophthora. Note that the calculation for weighted ranking here removes any duplication for crop or production site. When the rankings were calculated based on the crop types there were some differences among the groups (Table 12 p4). While crown & root rots and bacterial diseases were in the top five for each crop type, leaf spots & anthracnose and powdery mildew appear in only 3 of the lists. Water mold root rots (Pythium, Phytophthora) remain issues for each of the crop types. For the rankings grouped by production site, crown & root rots and bacterial diseases were the two top issues (Table 13 p4). Water molds were in the top five lists for each production site. While nematodes appeared to be problematic for outdoor production, powdery mildew was of concern for greenhouse producers. Weed Science Although there were some variations between rankings whether the responses are grouped together or separated by crop or production site, there was a general trend among the three areas. The top weed type of concern was broadleaf weeds, followed by sedge & nutsedge and then by grass and liverworts & moss & algae (Table 9, Table 14 p4, Table 15 p4). A more detailed look at the weeds respondents included in the survey is warranted (Table 16 p5). The top weed mentioned was nutsedge followed closely by liverworts. Four broadleaf weeds were included frequently: oxalis, spurge, bittercress, and eclipta. Table 9. Ranking of weeds with limited management choices. Weed Group Weighted Ranking Grass 58 Liverworts & Moss & Algae 56 Other 40 Horsetails 25 Vine 13 Non grass Monocots 12 Turf weeds 2 Woody 1 Table 10. Top 5 issues by crop for Entomology. Bedding Plants & Cut Flowers Seasonal Potted Plants Ornamental Grasses Foliage & Perennial Plants 1 Thrips (105) Thrips (56) Thrips (24) Thrips (79) 2 Whiteflies (50) 3 Mites & Spider Mites (36) Mites & Spider Mites (11) 4 Aphids (26) Fungus Gnats (7) Mites & Spider Mites (10) Whiteflies (10) Scale & Mealybugs (7) Aphids (4) Borers & Beetles (4) Fungus Gnats (4) Nematodes (4) Mites & Spider Mites (51) Scale & Mealybugs (34) Whiteflies (23) Shrubs, Trees, Palms & Christmas Trees Scale & Mealybugs (113) Borers & Beetles (102) Mites & Spider Mites (92) White Grubs & Root Weevils (37) 5 Scale & Mealybugs (17) Leafminers (5) Aphids (16) Thrips (37) 3

4 Table 11. Top 5 issues by production site for Entomology. Greenhouse Nursery Container Nursery Field Landscape 1 Thrips (281) Thrips (171) Thrips (146) Scale & Mealybugs (114) 2 Mites & Spider Mites (139) Scale & Mealybugs (129) Mites & Spider Mites (85) Thrips (90) 3 Scale & Mealybugs (121) Mites & Spider Mites (128) Scale & Mealybugs (71) Mites & Spider Mites (86) 4 Whiteflies (81) Borers & Beetles (93) Borers & Beetles (70) Borers & Beetles (74) 5 Borers & Beetles (69) Aphids (49) Aphids (30) Whiteflies (30) Table 12. Top 5 issues by crop for Plant Pathology. Bedding Plants & Seasonal Potted Plants Cut Flowers Ornamental Grasses Foliage & Perennial Plants Shrubs, Trees, Palms & Christmas Trees Crown & Root Rot Bacterial Diseases Bacterial Diseases 1 Crown & Root Rot (52) Bacterial Diseases (66) (19) (13) (50) Leaf Spots & Bacterial Diseases Leaf Spots & Crown & Root Rot 2 Pythium (46) Anthracnose (66) (12) Anthracnose (12) (33) 3 Bacterial Diseases (36) Pythium (11) Crown & Root Rot (8) Powdery Mildew (31) Crown & Root Rot (63) 4 Powdery Mildew (33) Downy Mildew (7) Phytophthora (7) Nematodes (28) Phytophthora (47) 5 Phytophthora (28) Nematodes (7) Rusts (7) Pythium (24) Pythium (24) Table 13. Top 5 issues by production site for Plant Pathology. Greenhouse Nursery Container Nursery Field Landscape 1 Crown & Root Rot (147) Crown & Root Rot (129) Crown & Root Rot (95) Crown & Root Rot (90) 2 Bacterial Diseases (142) Bacterial Diseases (128) Bacterial Diseases (92) Bacterial Diseases (85) 3 Pythium (103) Leaf Spots & Anthracnose (74) Phytophthora (52) Leaf Spots & Anthracnose (42) 4 Powdery Mildew (69) Phytophthora (69) Pythium (45) Nematodes (40) 5 Leaf Spots & Anthracnose (66) Pythium (56) Nematodes (35) Phytophthora (38) Table 14. Top 5 issues by crop for Weed Science. Bedding Plants & Foliage & Perennial Shrubs, Trees, Palms & Cut Flowers Ornamental Grasses Seasonal Potted Plants Plants Christmas Trees 1 (64) (29) (65) (100) (178) 2 Liverworts & Moss & Liverworts & Moss & Liverworts & Moss Algae (11) (8) Algae (23) & Algae (46) (55) 3 (9) Vine (3) Grass (14) Liverworts & Moss & (15) Algae (32) 4 Grass (8) (7) Grass (12) Horsetails (20) 5 Vine (6) Vine (5) Vine (6) Grass (16) Table 15. Top 5 issues by production site for Weed Science. Greenhouse Nursery Container Nursery Field Landscape 1 (277) (328) (187) (176) 2 Liverworts & Moss & Algae (109) Liverworts & Moss & Algae (104) Liverworts & Moss & Algae (84) (53) 3 (74) (79) (70) Liverworts & Moss & Algae (29) 4 Grass (14) Grass (43) Grass (27) Grass (19) 5 Vine (12) Vine (20) Horsetails (24) Vine (16) 4

5 Table 16. Specific issues for each weed group. Weed Group Weed Weighted Score 3 seeded mercury 3 Amaranth (pigweed) 2 american burnweed in containers Burn Weed 6 bindweed 1 Bittercress bittercress on snapdragons 22 bittercress pre emergent control Blackberries (too concerned about drift onto field crops) 2 broadleaf weeds 3 Buttonweed Virginia Button Weed 11 Chickweed 8 Clover 4 cottonwood 1 Dayflower 3 Dichondra 1 Dollar weed 3 doveweed 2 Eclipta eclipta, ground and container 21 euphorbia 3 False Dandelion 1 Field bindweed 3 fireweed 3 Foxtail various 1 Galinsoga galinsoga on snapdragons 8 ground ivy Ground ivy (Creeping Charlie) 5 common groundsel Groundsel in field and container 4 Hairy Bittercress 4 Herbicides for large leaf weeds with post emerge activity over the top on ornamentals 3 Hoary cress 2 Khaki weed khakiweed Alternanthera pungens 7 Mugwort Aremesia vulgaris 2 mulberry weed/hairy crabweed in containers 1 Mustard 1 need spray applied herbicides over the top (Tower) pre 2 Northern willow herb 2 Oxalis Oxalis and Bittercress 39 5

6 Weed Group Weed Weighted Score Oxalis inside greenhouses, under the benches oxalis post emergence Perennial weeds 3 phyllanthus in containers 2 Prostrate knotweed 2 Puncture Vine 3 Purslane 4 Queen Anne's Lace 7 Rorippa sylvestris 3 Smart weed (mediocre and shortlived control) Smartweed 4 Prostrate Spurge sperge in containers and field post emergent Spotted Spurge Spurge 38 spurge in field & container spurge in liriope Thistle Thistle in containers 9 thistle in pots (recent clearcut nearby) hard to kill while young Tropical Spiderwort 3 wild carrot mixed with triazine resistant weeds 3 wild licorice 3 Grass Bamboo 3 Grass Bermudagrass Grass Burmudagrass 7 Grass Cogon grass 3 Grass Crabgrass 6 Grass Dallis grass 7 Grass Goosegrass 3 Grass grass 1 Grass Grasses in Ornamental Grasses 2 Grass native bent grass 2 Grass Poa annua 3 Grass Poa grass in ornamental container crops 2 Grass Quackgrass 3 Grass Tall fescue 3 Grass Torpedograss 6 Grass torpedograss in landscape and turfgrass 3 Horsetails Equisetum Horsetails Field hoarse tail Equisetum arvense outdoor beds Horsetails Field horsetail Equisetum arvense 17 Horsetails Horsetail Horsetails Kyllinga 2 Horsetails Mares Tail 6 Liverworts & Moss & Algae Liverwort 47 6

7 Weed Group Weed Weighted Score Liverworts & Moss & Algae liverwort control at time of sale/small bits here & there Liverworts & Moss & Algae liverwort control on ground mats and in containers Liverworts & Moss & Algae Liverwort in container crops Liverworts & Moss & Algae Liverwort in liners and Forest seedling greenhouse crops Liverworts & Moss & Algae Liverwort on plugs (greenhouse) Liverworts & Moss & Algae Moss 1 Liverworts & Moss & Algae moss on soil in potted perennials 3 Liverworts & Moss & Algae pearlwort 5 Non grass Monocots Garlic in lawn 2 Non grass Monocots Onions in lawn 3 Non grass Monocots Wild garlic 7 Other Annual weeds (all species) 3 Other anything is a greenhouse pot 3 Other Bare ground control, pre and post 2 Other general postemergence control 1 Other greenhouse weeds generally 3 Other In greenhouses 3 Other need postemergence applied herbicides 3 Other over the top grass and weed control 3 Other overspraying evergreens for understory weeds 1 Other preemergence weed control in propagation 2 Other Various 1 Other Weed control under poly 3 Other Weeds 3 Other weeds around field trees 3 Other Weeds in or under greenhouse benches 3 Other weeds underbenches in greenhouse 3 Nutgrass Nutgrass (post emergent) 10 Nutgrass in flower beds Nutsedge postemergence control of nutsedge 41 Purple Nutsedge purple nutsedge in bedding plants and daylily 6 Sedges 2 Cyperus esculentus Yellow nutsedge 20 Yellow nutsedge in containers Turf weeds Virginia buttonweed in St. Augustinegrass during warm temperatures 2 Vine Celastrus (bittersweet) growing up trunks of trees 3 Vine Dodder Vine Dodder/ red thread 6 Vine Morning glory Vine morning glory in delphiniums and limonium 4 Woody Aspen Seedlings 1 7

8 Issues for Each Discipline arranged by Crop Table 17. Top 5 issues by discipline for Bedding Plants & Seasonal Potted Plants. 1 Thrips (105) Crown & Root Rot (52) (64) 2 Whiteflies (50) Pythium (46) Liverworts & Moss & Algae (11) 3 Mites & Spider Mites (36) Bacterial Diseases (36) (9) 4 Aphids (26) Powdery Mildew (33) Grass (8) 5 Scale & Mealybugs (17) Phytophthora (28) Vine (6) Table 18. Top 5 issues by discipline for Cut Flowers. 1 Thrips (56) Crown & Root Rot (19) (29) 2 Mites & Spider Mites (11) Bacterial Diseases (12) (8) 3 Whiteflies (10) Pythium (11) 4 Fungus Gnats (7) Downy Mildew (7) Vine (3) 5 Leafminers (5) Nematodes (7) Table 19. Top 5 issues by discipline for Ornamental Grasses 1 Thrips (24) Bacterial Diseases (13) (65) 2 Mites & Spider Mites (10) Leaf Spots & Anthracnose (12) Liverworts & Moss & Algae (23) 3 Scale & Mealybugs (7) Crown & Root Rot (8) Grass (14) 4 Aphids (4) 5 Borers & Beetles (4) Fungus Gnats (4) Nematodes (4) Phytophthora (7) Rusts (7) (7) Vine (5) Table 20. Top 5 issues by discipline for Foliage & Perennial Plants 1 Thrips (79) Bacterial Diseases (50) (100) 2 Mites & Spider Mites (51) Crown & Root Rot (33) Liverworts & Moss & Algae (46) 3 Scale & Mealybugs (34) Powdery Mildew (31) (15) 4 Whiteflies (23) Nematodes (28) Grass (12) 5 Aphids (16) Pythium (24) Vine (6) Table 21. Top 5 issues by discipline for Shrubs, Trees, Palms and Christmas Trees. 1 Scale & Mealybugs (113) Bacterial Diseases (66) (178) 2 Borers & Beetles (102) Leaf Spots & Anthracnose (66) (55) 3 Mites & Spider Mites (92) Crown & Root Rot (63) Liverworts & Moss & Algae (32) 4 White Grubs & Root Weevils (37) Phytophthora (47) Horsetails (20) 5 Thrips (37) Pythium (24) Grass (16) 8